 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2009) |
| Host city | Lake Placid, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Nations | 23 |
| Athletes | 41 |
| Events | 7 sports |
| Opening | February 26, 1972 |
| Closing | March 5, 1972 |
| Opened by | Richard Nixon |
The 1972 Winter Universiade, the VII Winter Universiade, took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States.
* Host nation (United States)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 13 | 10 | 6 | 29 |
| 2 |  United States (USA) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 3 |  Netherlands (NED) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 |  Poland (POL) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 |  Japan (JPN) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 |  Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 |  Italy (ITA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 |  France (FRA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 |  Norway (NOR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 West Germany (FRG) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 11 |  Finland (FIN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 |  South Korea (KOR) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 |  Austria (AUT) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 14 |  Canada (CAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 |  East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 27 | 25 | 25 | 77 | |
